Dale Kraus' Sudwest Deutsche Eisenbahn Verein (Southwest German Railway Union) layout is a co-operative venture consisting of four semi-autonomous railways: The Sudwest Deutsche Eisenbahn (SDE) running from Munich in the east to the French border at Lorrach, the Birkenfelder Eisenbahn (BeB) connecting the town of Birkenfeld with the SDE at Herbertingen, the Bodenseebahn (BsB) running south out of Herbertingen to Lake Constance at Zindelstein, and the 76 cm narrow gauge Messtettener Kreisbahn (MKb) connecting Zindelstein to the resort town of Messtetten. The railway is set in 1956, allowing for a heavy concentration of steam and older electric power. It is based on a survey done by the DB administration in the early ‘50s for a never constructed trunk line running from Munich west to the Swiss and French borders.